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HVRC

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Ruby on Rail from Zero to Deploy

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How I learned to Code in Ruby on Rails!!!
[With ZERO prior understanding of Code]
Step 1: Get Interested and be Completely Lost
 - The first time I tried to download Ruby on Rails onto my computer it, took me 2 days. For the first month, I spent a lot of time on Youtube videos and searching the web for free courses. It took me this time to just begin to realize how truly lost I really was.
  - I  downloaded Ruby on Rails from the following guide and I have attempted to complete this guide multiple times. However, for a very long time I was completely in over my head and I needed to go back to the basics.
  - Note: This tutorial uses all of the most widely used standard application, so I would always revert back to these 
Step 2: Find Some Structure
 - I finally decided to pay for a http://www.lynda.com and this was the first time I really began to make progress.
 - There are a ton of code schools out there on the web, many of which have more interactive features, but I really enjoyed following along with these courses and having all of the content on my local computer. 

Here is the list of Courses I took . . .
 1. HTML Essential Training (2012) - This is a course that I really which I had taken sooner. My guess is that many new programmers initially start at topics that are too advanced. 
 2. Foundations of Programming: Fundamentals - An excellent introduction into a wide variety of programming languages. It explains the difference, between many popular languages and is a great starting place for people new to the programming world.
3. Ruby Essential Training - This one was a little bit more difficult to get through, especially when I just wanted to start building in Ruby on Rails. It simply needs to get done though, to better understand the Rails framework.
4. Ruby on Rails Essential Training 3 - FINALLY!! after spending over 100 hours on other courses, I was back to the language I initially wanted to learn. This course, is an excellent walk through of Ruby on Rails at a very slow and easy to understand level. I loved it. During the course, you build a simple content management system. 
And here is what I made in about 9 months: http://silly-retreat-7264.herokuapp.com/
Step 3: Bought the Book Agile Web Development with Rails
 - This book does a great job of walking you through the building of an e-commerce web site.
 - At this point, I have read and completed the code 3 times.
      1. Followed along with the book
      2. Slightly changed things, to better fit my needs 
      3. Restarted one last time, for my production ready build. 


Step 4: Find a Small Defined Problem and Solve it
- For me it was a Quiz creating, taking and grading function with radio buttons. THIS WAS HARD!!!!!  
- At this point I had a relatively good understanding of how code worked. Now is the time to find a project that you are passionate and interested about and begin building. I started searching ruby gems and I thought about hiring help. I finally made a break through here, when I discovered and really started using www.meetup.com and attending various hacker hours and events around NYC. A teacher at the flatiron school eventually provided me with some solid direction and I finally got this function to work. 
- At this point online courses, no longer helped and it was time to seek expert advice.
   
Step 5: Production Ready Build
 - At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to build.
 - I finally went back to what is the best introductory guide out (http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-boo) there and used all of the recommended and set up available in Chapter 1.
 - I used Lynda.com framework for a CMS system to hold the courses and I used Agile Web Development to build the shopping car feature.
 - When I want to build something new I first search http://railscasts.com/ and I frequently end up onhttp://stackoverflow.com/ when I run into errors [which is pretty much always] 
*I am happy to help out any other Self Learning Programmer out there. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]
 - If you are new as well, I would also begin having conversation with The General Assembly and The Flat Iron School and I am still grealy considering attending one of these 3 month long programs. 
Additional Resources
 - You will quickly see that there are an infinite number of ways to solve and problem in coding. There are also many great resources to learn. I really enjoyed Lynda.com, b/c it forced you to download ruby onto your own computer Check out . . .
 - http://teamtreehouse.com/ <- Some great interactive feature. If I started again, I might use this site instead of Lynda.com
 - http://www.codecademy.com/ <- Alot of peopl love this site as it provides some great building blocks. I personally haven't used it much. It is an ok way to get you interested in code, but I haven't seen anyone use it to take them anywhere substantial


First Night of Stand Up Comedy!

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FIRST NIGHT DOING 
STAND UP COMEDY
Tonight I went to an open mic night and performed stand up comedy for the first time. The Upright Citizens Brigade East location is a mere 8 minutes walking distance from where I'm staying this month and I've been taking advantage of it these last two weeks. 
While I don't think my "virgin" performance was spectacular, I do think the room was a bit dead. I'm still trying to figure out how to gauge my audience. I'm much more optimistic and happy-go-lucky than most comics. I'll try one liners next time. 


Pop Up Show- Wynwood Art Walk May 2013 - feat Brandon Opalka, David Marsh, Kristen Soller, Atomik and Alan Gutierrez

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What Next? - Chicken Diapers...really?

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Baker told HuffPost Weird News that the family has been involved in the poultry show community for a long time (yes, there is such a thing as a poultry show community) but the little cluckers kept messing themselves up. So she made a diaper that fastens over the chicken's tail feathers and, with the help of a paper towel, keeps everything clean. Plus, it's machine washable.

"Everyone wanted to know where we got them -- and the orders started rolling in," Baker said. "I have a lot of customers that keep their chickens in the house full-time, and they love the diapers."

Her business, Pampered Poultry, also helps out humans. She pays employees at a women's sewing cooperative in Munoz, Dominican Republic to create the diapers, then picks the finished product up once every couple of months.

The chicken diaper colors -- including Ocean Blue, Parrot Green and Purple Rust -- are only available while supplies last. You can get one for $12.50 at pamperyourpoultry.com or check out Baker's chicken saddles and other attire.

Chicken Diapers? 

Are you tired of your delicious meal pooping on your carpet? Do you want your chicken to be the cock of the town? Then get yourself a pair of chicken diapers. Julie Baker, a farmer in Claremont, N.H.,invented the poultry couture to keep the horrific mess of chicken excrement off your floors -- while your chicken stays in high fashion.



Wigan & District Roller Club

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My Nest thermostat review

Posted | Views: 20,051
My Nest 
Thermostat
Review
She’s pretty tech savvy, she’s been using computers since the punch card days. But every now and then she’ll ask me silly questions like how to email pictures from her iPhone.

I've known about the Nest thermostat for awhile now but it never occurred to me it would be the perfect gift. They market it from an energy savings angle, and stuff like that doesn't interest me. My mom lives in Miami so I doubt the Nest would be much of an energy saving thing. During most of the year, especially in the summer the air conditioning is on all day. But to be honest, I didn’t really care... It looks beautiful and it’s connected to the internet, the cool factor does it.

I sent the Nest website to my Mom for the “OK” and she was amazed.

Nest is beautiful. Interacting with it is a delight. After it was installed I found myself adjusting it just to touch it. It’s really nice. The only negative, if I had to give one, is that the screen isn’t high resolution. Everything else with the hardware is awesome.
The hardest part to installing Nest had nothing to do with Nest

On the Nest website they have a guide tool. It walks you through the process of figuring out if you a/c is compatible with Nest. You can also email them pictures of your thermostat and they can figure it out for you.


Since the Nest is so nice, I wanted the wall to look perfect. When I removed the old thermostat I plastered, sanded and painted the wall (Home Depot color match paint is a lifesaver). It took hours to get the wall ready and was the longest and most annoying part. Installing the Nest took literally like 5 mins.


It's like the first time you used a remote to change the channel on your TV

The Nest is connected to the internet via your Wifi. After you install and set it up (zipcode, wifi password, software update and link your phone), you can control it from your phone or the Nest website. This is the my mom’s favorite feature. I think this is Nest's best selling point.

It also learns your daily routine and programs itself accordingly. It also provides reports and history stuff so you can totally nerd out on use stats of your house.

My Mom is super happy with it. It was fun installing it for her and it looks beautiful! It’s a bit on the pricy side. 
 
I wanted to get my Mom a gift that she would use every day.


Birmingham Roller

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Rodriguez Spinnerz Mexi-Cali

Posted | Views: 1,847


Rodriguez Spinnerz

Posted | Views: 1,768


The Birmingham Roller

Posted | Views: 1,926


tits

Posted | Views: 1,244

 My boobs are big. They are too big for my body, and they hurt. I can't take a shower without holding my boobs, literally. I've seen a lot of doctors. Most told me to lose weight, to stop drinking coffee, stop eating dark chocolate, etc. I lost fifteen pounds within the last year, only to find that my boobs had gotten bigger. I decided I was sick of people telling me this was something I could control, and I wanted to deal with the discomfort as soon as possible. On my third consultation for a breast reduction, the surgeon informed me that I would need to send a picture of my tits, first and foremost, to the insurance company to see if they deemed them "big enough" for my surgery to be "medically relevant." Yes, you read correctly. Not only do I need to send a literal nudie-pic to some unknown person, who is not a doctor, to determine whether or not they think I should have smaller boobs, but I also needed to document that I have tried to deal with my boob-issue multiple other ways. One of the examples most insurance companies give is, "consulting a bra specialist," as if I haven't figured out what type of bra to wear with 30FF/30G tits. Seriously, like I have many options.

I have had mammograms, ultrasounds, acupuncture, physical therapy, massage therapy, you fucking name it...but apparently it hasn't been enough to show that I've tried to deal with my breast pain in a nonsurgical way. Instead, if I want my breast reduction to be covered by insurance, I need to take painkillers for a year to document that I've tried to deal with the pain via medication, rather than surgery.

What really pisses me off, is that I’m expected to wait for someone, who isn’t a doctor, to tell me if they think my boobs are appropriately sized for my body and therefore if the pain I’m experiencing is enough. On top of that, I know a seventy year old man could have the government pay for ED treatment, which causes less physical pain and no more psychological pain than that of a 16 year old in high school being told that if she were only a little skinnier, maybe her boobs wouldn't be so big.   

 

What Are Big Tits?
So here are some examples of breast reductions that have been covered by insurance, similar to those offered to me in the doctor's office as examples:
DEAR INSURANCE COMPANIES, 
My boobs don't look like this. And this may be what you're used to seeing as "too big," but mine are too big by my standards. They hurt enough, I've documented that enough, and I will not dignify this system with a picture of my rack so that you can tell me what is enough.  
Insurance companies need to get their shit together. Did you know that most insurance companies, including medicare, cover everything but the copay in a "penile implant procedure"..? So if a sixty five year old man has erectile dysfunction, he can have a surgery to have a literal pump put inside of his penis to help him get it up... 

Medical insurers cover this cost because erectile dysfunction is considered to be a "medical condition"  ... but erectile dysfunction doesn't cause physical pain, and it doesn't interfere with daily life outside of sexual intercourse. The symptoms are psychological. I'm not trying to argue that ED isn't an issue--it is, and it affects men all over the world. The issue I take with this topic is that while penile implant procedures are covered by insurance, so many issues that apply to women and are far more disruptive to every day life, are not. While ED is deemed "medically relevant," so many issues having to do with women's appearance are not--despite any psychological or physical symptoms they may inflict.

THIS IS PATRIARCHY, AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ITS CONTINUOUS REIGN.
  
Dear Everyone Else,
Don't tell me "I wish I had your problem" because you think it would be nice to have tits like Kim Kardashian or Audrina Patridge.  
While I'm not a thirty-year old woman with two kids, I'm also not a sex icon, please don't compare my situation to theirs. My body is my body and I'd apprecciate it if patriarchy would step down and let me work with my doctors to make my own judgements,.. because I really don't want or need the opinion of the mass public in determining what is or is not enough.
Helena Victor


bigtits

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Old Skool

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HOXXOH at Gallery Butter - VIP Preview

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The long journey to success

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Be Grateful

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"To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything." Thoughts in Solitude, Thomas Merton

Via Gratefulness.org


EVILLOFTS

Posted | Views: 1,648